1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controlled device, controller, information control center, initialization-allowing communication system, and communication control system and medium which can be used for a communication system in which one device or more and a controller for controlling the device or devices are connected to each other by any communication means.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in the case of a system in which one device or more (hereafter, this or these may be merely referred to as a device or devices) and a controller for controlling the device or devices are connected to each other by any communication means and controlled by each other, communication initialization is necessary in order to communicate with each other. The communication initialization represents setting the address number of each device in communication or the address number of the device of a communication counterpart to each device. Conventionally, the above setting has been manually and individually performed when starting a system. Operations of a conventional initialization-allowing communication system are described below by referring to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a conventional initialization-allowing communication system. The structure in FIG. 14 is constituted with a device 10 and a controller 50, the device 10 and the controller 50 are connected by a communication medium 20 through communication means 31, and they can be communicated with each other. Moreover, the device 10 and controller 50 are provided with self-address setting-holding means 11 for setting and holding the addresses of their own and communication-counterpart-address setting-holding means 14 for setting and holding the address of a counterpart to be communicated with. Furthermore, the device 10 is provided with control means 15 and the controller 50 is provided with a button 12 for controlling the device 10 and control content generation means 13 for detecting that the button 12 is pressed, generating corresponding control contents, and sending the contents to the communication means 31 in addition to the control means 15.
Operations of the conventional initialization-allowing communication system having the above structure are described below.
For the device 10 and controller 50 to communicate with each other, it is necessary to set self-addresses of their own and the address of a communication counterpart. Therefore, in order to set the self-addresses of the device 10 and controller 50, a user first sets the self-addresses by using the self-address setting-holding means 11. For the addresses, an address range or the like is previously specified by communication rules. For example, it is necessary that each unit has the sole address determined in a system so that the sole address is an optional number between numbers 1 and 7 and there is no duplicate number. The user sets the self-address of the device 10 to number 1 by using the self-address setting-holding means 11 of the device 10 and the self-address of the controller 50 to number 7 by using the self-address setting-holding means 11 of the controller 50 in accordance with the above rules. The self-address of each unit is determined through the above operations. Then, the user sets the address of a counterpart with which each unit communicates. In this case, because the device 10 communicates with the controller 50 and the controller 50 communicates with the device 10, the user sets the communication-counterpart address of the device 10 to number 7 by using communication-counterpart-address setting-holding means 14 of the device 10 and the communication-counterpart address of the controller 50 to number 1 by using the communication-counterpart-address setting-holding means 14 of the controller 50. The communication-counterpart address of each unit is determined through the above operations and thereafter, communication can be made. That is, when the user presses, for example, the button 12 indicating power-onxe2x80x9d of the controller 50, the control content generation means 13 of the controller 50 detects that the button 12 is pressed, generates corresponding control contents, and sends the contents to the communication means 31. The communication means 31 transmits the above control contents from the address number 7 to the address number 1 in accordance with the contents in the self-address setting-holding means 11 and the communication-counterpart-address setting-holding means 14. The transmitted control contents reach the control means 15 via the communication means 31 of the device 10 through the communication medium 20 and the control contents are executed. That is, when the power-onxe2x80x9d button is pressed, the power supply of the device 10 is turned on.
To individually control a plurality of devices 10 by one controller 50, it is necessary to specify a device to be controlled by using a control device selection switch 912 provided for the controller 50.
Therefore, to set addresses of air conditioners 1 and 2 as the above-described initialization, the control device selection switch 912 is first set to the position indicating the air conditioner 1, then a series of setting operations above described is performed to complete the address setting of the air conditioner 1. Similarly to the above, the control device selection switch 912 is set to the position indicating the air conditioner 2 and then, a series of setting operations described above is performed to complete address setting of the air conditioner 2.
As described above, the conventional initialization-allowing communication system realizes mutual communication by manually performing communication initialization.
Then, a conventional communication control system constituted with a device and a controller for controlling the device is described.
That is, in the case of the conventional communication control system, the contents for the controller to control the device are previously set in the controller. Operations of the conventional communication control system are described below by referring to FIG. 15.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a conventional communication control system. The structure in FIG. 15 is constituted with a device 10 and a controller 50, in which the device 10 and the controller 50 are connected to each other by a communication medium 20 through communication means 31 of the device 10 and that of the controller 50 so that they can communicate with each other. Moreover, the device 10 is provided with communication means 15 and the controller 50 is provided with a button 12 for controlling the device 10, key input detection means 811 for detecting that the button 12 is pressed, and control content generation means 13 for generating the control contents corresponding to the key input detection means 811 and sending the contents to the communication means 31.
Operations of the conventional communication control system having the structure are described below.
When a user presses, for example, the button 12 of the controller 50 indicating power-on,xe2x80x9d the key input detection means 811 of the controller 50 detects that the button 12 is pressed and moreover, the control content generation means 13 generates control contents addressed to the device 10 corresponding to the control content generation means 13 and sends the contents to the communication means 31. The communication means 31 reaches the control means 15 via the communication means 31 of the device 10 through the communication medium 20 to execute the control contents. That is, when the power-onxe2x80x9d button is pressed, the power supply of the device 10 is turned on.
As described above, in the case of the conventional communication control system, control contents corresponding to the case in which a button is pressed is previously set to control content generation means in a controller and thereby, a device can be controlled.
In the case of a conventional initialization-allowing communication system, however, it is necessary to manually perform the above setting as initialization before starting communication. Because the above setting operation requires the knowledge of address setting, the operation can be performed only by a person skilled to a certain extent. Therefore, a person in charge of setting work is necessary to set this type of system and therefore, this type of system is not preferable from the viewpoint of cost and man-hour. Moreover, because it is normally difficult for a housewife, old person, or child to perform the above setting, it is necessary to call a person in charge of work whenever extending or maintaining a device. Therefore, the system also has an aspect of preventing this type of communication device from spreading to homes.
In the case of a conventional communication control system, it is impossible to control the control contents which are not set to the above control content generation means. This has a problem that, when there are a device and a controller for controlling the device and thereafter, a new device having functions higher than those of the former device is purchased, the controller for controlling the former device cannot control the higher functions of the newly purchased device, that is, the controller cannot correspond to the change of devices.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a controlled device, controller, information control center, and initialization-allowing communication system and its medium making it possible to simply perform initialization compared to a conventional case by considering the above problems of a conventional initialization-allowing communication system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a communication control system and its medium making it possible for a controller to easily correspond to the change of devices by considering the above problems of a conventional communication control system.
A first aspect of the present invention is a controlled device to be controlled by a controller, wherein
an information control center having a data base storing a plurality of pieces of combined information between said controller and a controlled device corresponding to said controller transmits a piece of combined information to a controller included in the piece of combined information in accordance with a transmission request for requesting the information control center to transmit any one of said pieces of combined information when receiving said request.
A second aspect of the present invention is a controller for controlling a controlled device, wherein
an information control center having a data base storing a plurality of pieces of combined information between said controller and a controlled device corresponding to said controller transmits a piece of combined information to a controller included in the piece of combined information in accordance with a transmission request for requesting the information control center to transmit any one of said pieces of combined information when receiving said request.
A third aspect of the present invention is an information control center having a data base storing a plurality of pieces of combined information between a controller and a controlled device corresponding to said controller, wherein
said information control center transmits a piece of combined information to a controller included in the piece of combined information in accordance with a request for requesting said information control center to transmit any one of said pieces of combined information when receiving said request.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is a controlled device to be controlled by a controller, wherein
an information control center having a data base storing a plurality of pieces of combined information between said controller and the controlled device corresponding to said controller transmits said combined information to controllers included in the combined information at predetermined timing.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is a controller for controlling a controlled device, wherein
an information control center having a data base storing a plurality of pieces of combined information between said controller and the controlled device corresponding to said controller transmits said combined information to controllers included in the combined information at predetermined timing.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is an information control center having a data base storing a plurality of pieces of combined information between a controller and a controlled device corresponding to said controller, wherein
said information control center transmits said combined information to controllers included in said combined information at predetermined timing.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is an initialization-allowing communication system comprising:
a controlled device to be controlled;
a controller for controlling said controlled device; and
an information control center having a data base storing a plurality of pieces of combined information between said controller and the controlled device corresponding to said controller, wherein
said information control center transmits a piece of combined information to a controller included in said piece of combined information in accordance with a request for requesting said information control center to transmit any one of said pieces of combined information when receiving said request.
An eighth aspect of the present invention is an initialization-allowing communication system comprising:
a controlled device to be controlled;
a controller for controlling said controlled device; and
an information control center having a data base storing a plurality of pieces of combined information between said controller and the controlled device corresponding to said controller, wherein
said information control center transmits said combined information to controllers included in said combined information at predetermined timing.
A further aspect of the present invention is a controlled device to be controlled by a controller, wherein
said controlled device is provided with first functional-information holding means for holding the functional information for said controlled device, and
requested functional information is transmitted to said controller in accordance with a transmission request for said held functional information when the request is sent to said controlled device.
A still further of the present invention is a controller for controlling a controlled device, wherein
said controlled device is provided with first functional-information holding means for holding the functional information for said controlled device,
the functional information transmitted from said controlled device is received in accordance with a request for transmitting said held functional information when the request is sent to said controlled device.
An additional aspect of the present invention is a communication control system comprising a controlled device to be controlled and a controller for controlling said controlled device through a communication medium, wherein
said controlled device is provided with first functional-information holding means for holding the functional information for said controlled device, and
requested functional information is transmitted to said controller in accordance with a request for transmitting said held functional information when the request is sent to said controlled device.
Still another aspect of the present invention is a medium wherein a program for making a computer execute functions of all or some of means of any one of the above-mentioned inventions is recorded.